This invention relates to a scroll compressor of the sort having the non-orbiting scroll incorporating a separator plate feature, and wherein a heat shield is placed above the base of the non-orbiting scroll to reduce the amount of heat from the discharge pressure gas that reaches the non-orbiting scroll.
Modern refrigerant compressors are often mounted within a sealed container. In these compressors, the pump unit for compressing the refrigerant is positioned at one end, and a motor for driving the pump unit is positioned at another end. Often the suction pressure refrigerant is allowed to circulate over the motor, cooling the motor. In such compressors, it becomes necessary to separate the suction pressure chamber from the discharge pressure chamber. Typically, there is a plate separating the housing into a suction pressure chamber and a discharge pressure chamber.
One popular type of modern compressor is a scroll compressor. A scroll compressor includes a pair of scroll members each having a base and a generally spiral wrap extending from the base. The wraps of the two scroll members interfit to define compression chambers. One of the scroll members is driven to orbit relative to the other, and during this orbital movement, the compression chambers decrease in volume.
In traditional scroll compressors, the non-orbiting scroll does not seal against the compressor housing. Instead, a separate separator plate is positioned typically outwardly of the base of the non-orbiting scroll to separate the housing into the suction and discharge pressure chambers. Most typically, a discharge pressure chamber is formed above the separator plate, and the area below the separator plate is at suction pressure.
More recently, it has been proposed to incorporate the separator function into the base of the non-orbiting scroll. In such compressors, the base of the non-orbiting scroll is sealed to the housing. Thus, there is the discharge pressure chamber on one side of the base of the on-orbiting scroll.
In refrigerant compressors, compressed refrigerant often reaches relatively high temperatures. With the above discussed recent scroll compressor improvements, this hot gas communicates with the rear of the base of the non-orbiting scroll. The scroll base may thus reach undesirably high temperatures thus transferring a significant amount of heat to the suction side of the compressor.